Traditional multi-mission satellites consist of a satellite bus that provides basic satellite functionality, including power, communications, and attitude control, with a provision to host one or more payloads and the ability to command payloads from the ground. Traditional satellite busses cost tens to hundreds of millions of dollars and have detailed and complex payload and command interfaces, which substantially increase costs and development time. Moreover, the payload sections are typically volume, shape, and power-constrained, forcing the payload designer to design around the satellite bus, which can result in undesirable performance, higher costs, and increased risks.
In recent years, CubeSats have emerged as an alternative to traditional space solutions. CubeSats are relatively simple and can be developed with a more rapid turnaround. For space missions with smaller power and equipment capability requirements, CubeSats may offer the potential for an out-of-the-box solution where the same satellite can be used for different missions based on mission-specific software. CubeSats can typically be produced and purchased for a lower cost than conventional satellite systems, and have a higher availability for launch since they can be deployed by smaller, more widely available, less costly secondary payload launch options. Indeed, multiple CubeSats can be launched simultaneously in a “dispenser.”
However, conventional CubeSats present a number of major design challenges for many missions, particularly for a multi-mission satellite bus. For instance, conventional CubeSats have very limited power and volume. Also, a design team still has to account for all normal effects of space operation (e.g., radiation, thermal management, launch envelope, etc.) without the benefit of traditional space components, and with little design margin in order to create a functional space vehicle. As a result, most conventional CubeSats have been plagued with issues of poor reliability, short lifetime, and poor performance. In fact, many conventional CubeSats fail to even turn on and make initial contact.
Extending CubeSats to provide a multi-mission bus capability has proven especially difficult. Previous attempts at producing multi-mission CubeSats have yielded satellites with relatively high costs, very little power and volume left for the payload section, and payload interfaces that are complex and/or limited in functionality. This leads to higher costs, longer development times, and poor reliability. Extending these designs to larger form factors is thus highly problematic. Accordingly, an improved approach for space vehicle payload development, testing, and interfacing may be beneficial.